My First Doll

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I got a sewing machine for my birthday and in my excitement I promised pictures of my creations. Well, it turns out I was both ambitious and naive.

The first thing I made was an incredibly unimpressive "pin cushion." It's basically a felt pillow with a sloppily stitched heart applique. I was too embarrassed to post a picture of it so I avoided mentioning my new sewing hobby again and hoped you all would forget I ever wrote about it.

Since the pin cushion, I've done a practice run of a headband for Little Bit following these instructions, and I've sewn a valance for the girls' room. Sadly, none of these projects were bloggable. It was very discouraging.

But then, I was inspired by the Wee Wonderfuls "Archie" pattern and decided to give this little guy a go. My godson's first birthday party was coming up and this doll seemed like he'd make a good buddy. Despite MANY imperfections, including one leg sewn on backwards, he actually came out kind of cute.

Photo courtesy of my husband who was able to capture the doll's good side from this funny angle. Thanks Sweetie!

I was sad to see him go, but I think he'll get lots of snuggles in his new home. I'm really looking forward to making a couple more for the girls. In another week or so. :)

Toy Recall

About 15,000 toy blocks and train sets are being recalled due to excessive lead levels found in the surface paint.

The toys were sold at Christmas Tree Shops stores throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions between October 2006 and November 2007, and were manufactured by First Learning Company, Ltd. (Hong Kong)

The Toy Circuit

Interested in having different toys in your house every few weeks without having to dip into your child's college fund?

Start swapping!

We all know what it's like to see a heap of toys sitting around while our toddler seems absolutely bored out of his mind. But we can't just keep buying new toys all the time. Toys are expensive and that would quickly add up to big $$$.

One option to bust the boredom is to rotate toys. We have some toys that we bring out on the weekends, and others that we keep in bins to be changed out every few weeks.

You can add more variety, however, if you enlist some of your friends with young children to join into the rotation with their own toys. You trade your kid's toys for theirs and everybody gets to play with new stuff every few weeks without having to spend a dime!

Please keep in mind however that swapping toys can also mean swapping germs and other goodies, so it's a good idea to establish an agreement among your fellow swappers to clean up the toys a bit before the exchange.

Happy swapping!

Toy Review Tuesday: Play Gyms

Play gyms (a.k.a. play mats)are a huge part of a baby's playtime. They're great for letting Baby practice kicking, batting and grasping toys. They usually have a component that promises to make the dreaded tummy time more enjoyable for your little one. And, these mats can also be helpful when the baby starts to try to roll over.

I've gone through a few of these things already, and they are definitely not all created equal.

The first play mat we owned was the Baby Einstein Play Gym. With vivid contrasting colors, simple images, and a wide base for rolling, this mat had the makings of a great gym from the start. It comes with a myriad of toys to hang from it and many connection points to choose from. It also includes a mirror, which babies love, and a crescent-shaped pillow to help make tummy time more enjoyable for your little one. We instantly removed the musical star and replaced it with a toy hanging from several links so that our baby could bat at it. We felt this mat was perfect for what it was intended and it has lasted far beyond what we could have hoped. We have removed the arched poles that keep the mat taut and our toddler still likes to use it sometimes as her designated play area.

  Baby Einstein Play Gym

Another gym that we currently own has a very interesting design. The Sassy Circus Ring Playmat has one flexible pole that reaches from one corner to the other. Because the pole is flexible, it can be flattened or raised. In addition, it can be bent so that the toys hang over Baby's head, midsection, or feet when laying on her back, or bent so that the toys hang in front of her face when she's laying on her tummy. It comes with very entertaining toys, including a mirror, some spinning toys, and little animal heads that jingle. The downside to this gym is that it has two metal poles running along sides adjacent to one another inside the mat to help keep it flat. When or baby starts rolling over, I'm afraid the poles may be very uncomfortable for her.

Sassy Circus Ring Playmat

Our least favorite has been the Fisher-Price Rainforest 123 Musical Gym." This long, thin mat is very colorful and is flanked by a giraffe and a palm tree with dangling butterflies. The front has an angled mirror for Baby's tummy time, and a couple of hanging toys for batting. One of the toys that hangs is a tiger that plays music when you hit it. I thought the mirror was a great idea for helping to make tummy time more enjoyable, but the musical tiger got annoying and I prefer more natural sounds over synthetic music. Another drawback to this mat is how greatly it limits the baby's movement. Because it is so thin, a child basically just has the option of laying flat on his or her back or tummy, rendering it useless once the child begins to practice rolling over

Fisher-Price Rainforest 123 Musical Gym

When buying a playmat one of the most important things to consider is whether or not it will grow with your baby. While the various bells and whistles may be nice, all your baby needs is dangling toys to bat and kick, room to roll, and something engaging to look at while on his tummy. The rest is just gravy!

Never Pay Retail Again!

Very few things in this world feel better than knowing you got a great deal on something. I got that feeling today when I went to my favorite consignment shop, Wallabie's Kids, for their Winter Clearance Sale and Spring Preview.

Babies can be so expensive...upwards of $10,000 in just the first year, so it's important to save where you can. I have found that I can find pretty much anything I want and need for my kids without paying full price for it.

How do I save money on baby and toddler stuff? Shop around!

• eBay- Great for buying new or used baby clothes if you want a huge selection and don't mind buying without seeing. As with most things, you’ll pay less per item when you buy from larger lots.

Most sellers provide pictures and detailed descriptions, but I've still had my share of
disappointments. Sometimes the clothes just don't look the same in person. It's hard to see
pilling and fraying in photos and some stains go unnoticed by the sellers.

Finally, there's the matter of shipping. Unless you happen to buy from a local seller, you
have to wait for your clothes to ship which could take up to a couple of weeks. I actually
won an auction for my youngest shortly after she was born, but by the time the clothes
came she was almost too big for them.

• Craigslist- My local Craigslist is my “go to” site for gear, toys, and furniture. You can expect to pay about half of an item’s retail price. Sometimes more, sometimes much less…depending on the item.

I love Craigslist because it’s local, there are often pictures of the item posted, and the prices are always great.

The problem, however, is that sometimes you have to be really quick when inquiring about an item. There have been several occasions when I’ve emailed a seller about an item within just a few hours of it being listed only to learn that they’ve already sold it.

Also, if you have something specific in mind, you may not find it right away. It took me about a month of checking the site several times per day to find someone selling an Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper at a price I thought was reasonable ($75).

• Consignment Shops- Local consignment stores are great for clothes, gear, and toys. Prices here also usually fall at around half of what you would pay retail.

Consignment stores are fun and feel more like “real” shopping". There are a few in my area that I visit every few weeks and they always have new goodies. Chances are, even if you have a specific item in mind, you’ll still walk out with some adorable outfit or cool toy that you had no idea you wanted.

• Garage/Yard Sales- Yard sales have great prices. Most of the time the sellers want the stuff gone and are just looking to make a few bucks in the process. Baby clothes are often around only $1 a piece and there are usually a ton of toys lined up that are ready to move on to a new family.

Unfortunately, yard sales are hit or miss. Sometimes you can find the deal of the century (a couple weeks ago I bought a Cozy Coupe that was in great shape for just $3), and other times you may drive around for a few hours with nothing to show for it at the end of the day.

• Freecycle- As the name suggests, this is where you can find stuff that’s being given away for free. Can’t beat that!

Similar to Craigslist, if you see something you want, you have to be fast. Sometimes things are just left at the curb and you can simply drive by and pick it up. I actually haven’t used Freecycle since I found Craigslist, but in the past I regularly scoped for miscellaneous items my family was looking for. You’d be surprised by what people are willing to give away.

Raising kids is expensive...that's a no-brainer. Between childcare, health insurance/medical bills, food, clothing, field trips, camps, extracurricular activities, and not to mention saving for college, having kids makes a pretty significant dent in your wallet. Considering all of these expenses, it's important to save wherever you can. With all of the second-hand sources out there, there’s really no reason to have to pay full price for something that you can get for less!